Effect of iron oxidation state on the electrical conductivity of the Earth’s lower mantle

V. Potapkin, C. McCammon (), K. Glazyrin, A. Kantor, I. Kupenko, C. Prescher, R. Sinmyo, G. V. Smirnov, A. I. Chumakov, R. Rüffer and L. Dubrovinsky
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V. Potapkin: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, Grenoble F-38043, France
C. McCammon: Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth
K. Glazyrin: Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth
A. Kantor: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, Grenoble F-38043, France
I. Kupenko: Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth
C. Prescher: Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth
R. Sinmyo: Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth
G. V. Smirnov: National Research Center ‘Kurchatov Institute’
A. I. Chumakov: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, Grenoble F-38043, France
R. Rüffer: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, Grenoble F-38043, France
L. Dubrovinsky: Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Iron can adopt different spin states in the lower mantle. Previous studies indicate that the dominant lower-mantle phase, magnesium silicate perovskite (which contains at least half of its iron as Fe3+), undergoes a Fe3+ high-spin to low-spin transition that has been suggested to cause seismic velocity anomalies and a drop in laboratory-measured electrical conductivity. Here we apply a new synchrotron-based method of Mössbauer spectroscopy and show that Fe3+ remains in the high-spin state in lower-mantle perovskite at conditions throughout the lower mantle. Electrical conductivity measurements show no conductivity drop in samples with high Fe3+, suggesting that the conductivity drop observed previously on samples with high Fe2+ is due to a transition of Fe2+ to the intermediate-spin state. Correlation of transport and elastic properties of lower-mantle perovskite with electromagnetic and seismic data may provide a new probe of heterogeneity in the lower mantle.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2436

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